Coming off a trip to the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots got to work remodeling their roster in free agency with a handful of moves.
Over the first two days of free agency, New England agreed to terms with four players: edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones, fullback Reggie Gilliam, offensive guard Alijah-Vera Tucker, and wide receiver Romeo Doubs. They then added All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, tight end Julian Hill and safety Mike Brown shortly after the start of the new league year.
Going out, however, included
wide receiver Stefon Diggs, center Garrett Bradbury, defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, safety Jaylinn Hawkins, edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson among others.
All the changes project to upgrade the roster, and the results of the latest SB Nation Reacts survey show that 74% of participants think the Patriots have upgraded to start the offseason..
The comment section generally agrees.
expos11
Everything else being equal, I think we’ve upgraded. With our upcoming extremely tough schedule and the relative injury luck we had last year. We’ll be hard pressed to win 11 games (unless O-line is outstanding). I also expect a slight dip in Maye’s play (from his regular season play). Edge upgrade would be nice, but a more reliable O-line is more important (AVT on the field (not on IR) and much improved Campbell and Wilson are keys). Our edge was just average last year so I think if we maintain average we’ll be ok.
daddyin2009
I don’t feel as though we have improved, however we haven’t downgraded either.
JCRpatsfan
I said “no’ because I think it is a draw. However, when opponents fear our run game, our receivers will start to look much better. We are making progress there with additions at LG, FB and a blocking TE. I’d love to see us add a dual threat TE like Gronk v2…. Someone that can block, catch and, when required, kick the opposing CBs out of the club.
Sportzballer
Probably. There is maybe some room for debate with Diggs and some of the players we lost, but Byard > Hawkins and Doubs is probably better for us than Diggs at this stage. Some of the cheap depth players we lost on defense are maybe debatable, especially Jennings. The headliners should make us better.
new_phal3123
I think they essentially maintained their talent level from last year through free agency, a lot growth and improvement will come from the young guys improving.
Tony01
I think they’ve improved. The only move I hate is letting Tonga walk. Not resigning Hawkins is fine but letting chaisson go at that price seems bad. What this team really needs is to draft a tackle, tight end, and either trade for AJ or hit on a WR. If they draft those three spots and hit then this was a win of an offseason.
Jeff87333
They’ve filled some holes and need some holes filled in the draft. Overall it was “fine” to me, maybe a B/B-. It’s definitely nothing to complain about but also nothing to write home about. Doubs, AVT (health dependant) Gilliam and Byard were all good pickups. Dre’mont Jones is middle of the line to me, Hill and Brown don’t really matter to me…Hill is an underwhelming TE, and I’m not really caring about Brown I don’t think He’s a permanent piece nor anything special. So I see good players and hole fillers, they balance eachother out so I give it a B/B-
All in all, this week’s survey results look as follows:
Even with the roster improving, work remains to be done. Despite adding Jones along the edge, 43% of participants still believe edge rusher is the biggest need on the roster. And as New England signed Doubs, 25% of fans also think more additions should be made at wide receiver. Additionally with just Hunter Henry and Julian Hill atop the tight end depth chart, 17% believe that remains the biggest need.
The Patriots will hope the additions are upgrades and will help them get back to the Super Bowl. Currently on FanDuel Sportsbook, they have the fifth-best odds to win the AFC next season — trailing just the Ravens, Bills, Chiefs and Chargers.
